H.R.ANo.A625
RESOLUTION
1 WHEREAS, Family and friends are mourning the loss of
2 Wilhelmina Daisy Cullen Robertson Smith of Houston, who died on
3 January 26, 2009, at the age of 86; and
4 WHEREAS, The former Wilhelmina Cullen was the daughter of
5 Hugh Roy Cullen and Lillie Cranz Cullen; she attended Sweet Briar
6 College in Virginia during World War II, but she returned to Texas
7 and earned a bachelor ’s degree from the University of Houston in
8 1944; the following year, she married Corbin James Robertson, Sr.,
9 who was serving in the Army Air Corps at Ellington Field; the couple
10 nurtured a fulfilling relationship until Mr. Robertson ’s passing in
11 1991; fortunate to find love a second time, she was joined in
12 matrimony to Edgar A. Smith, Jr., in 1998; and
13 WHEREAS, An active philanthropist, Mrs. Smith helped launch
14 the magnet program in Houston ’s public schools, and she led her
15 family ’s organization, the Cullen Foundation, for five decades,
16 through which she assisted numerous local institutions, including
17 Baylor College of Medicine and the Texas Medical Center; she also
18 established three trusts to benefit higher education, health, and
19 the performing arts; and
20 WHEREAS, Mrs. Smith was especially devoted to the University
21 of Houston, and she was one of her alma mater ’s most dedicated
22 supporters; her parents also have a place in UH history, as they are
23 regarded as its founding family and the school ’s first major
24 benefactors; through the years, Mrs. Smith continued her parents ’
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1 legacy, and she shared this commitment with her first husband, who
2 supported the university ’s early athletic programs and for whom
3 Corbin J. Robertson Stadium is named; a life member of the UH Alumni
4 Organization, Mrs. Smith was awarded an honorary doctoral degree in
5 1988 and a Distinguished Alumni award in 1989; moreover, the UH
6 Board of Regents approved the construction of the Wilhelmina
7 Robertson Smith Pavilion, a sports complex to be built at Robertson
8 Stadium; and
9 WHEREAS, Dedicated to her community, Wilhelmina Smith was an
10 inspiration to all who were fortunate enough to know her, and she
11 leaves behind an extraordinary legacy of generosity and goodwill
12 that will not soon be forgotten; now, therefore, be it
13 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas
14 Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Wilhelmina Daisy
15 Cullen Robertson Smith and extend sincere sympathy to the members
16 of her family: to her husband, Edgar A. Smith, Jr.; to her children,
17 Wilhelmina Elizabeth "Beth" Robertson, Corbin J. Robertson, Jr.,
18 Lillie Therese Robertson, Carroll Christine Robertson Ray, and
19 Alison Susan Robertson Baumann; and to her other relatives and
20 friends; and, be it further
21 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
22 prepared for her family and that when the Texas House of
23 Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Wilhelmina
24 Smith.
Woolley Cohen
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Speaker of the HouseAAAAA
I certify that H.R. No. 625 was unanimously adopted by a rising vote of the House on March 5, 2009.
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Chief Clerk of the HouseAAA
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